The Doctor Who Effect
by KromlenLightninghammer
Summary: When The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey are thrown out of their dimension, they soon find themselves stranded in the middle of a war with one of the most terrible beings they have ever encountered. They join up with Commander Shepard and soon find that they may be changed forever and could hold the balance of the war with the Reapers in their hands.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes: This is my first Fan-Fiction and i hope everyone likes it. I wanted to put a new take on the Mass Effect universe and merge one of my favorite TV shows with one of my favorite games. This takes place in the Doctor Who universe after the season 2 episode The Girl in the Fireplace and in the Mass Effect universe takes place in Mass Effect 3 after the mission on Menae. This is FemShep and she is Paragon up to this point. Any help/advice is welcome and encouraged. P.S. i don't own either Doctor Who or Mass Effect.**

Chapter 1

The Doctor was walking around the control console of the TARDIS manipulating the controls with his usual excited manner. Rose was sitting on the only chair in the control room while Mickey was leaning against a railing. The Doctor paused in his circuit and turned to Rose "So, what do you want to see next? There is a lovely solar wave that is pulsating from a binary star that only happens once every six hundred years. Or there are the rock formations of Goren 4 that tower higher than any building man ever creates."

Mickey shifted his stance "Oi, can't we get some food, we haven't eaten in forever."

The Doctor went back to going around the controls and didn't even look at Mickey "Well Ricky, there is a planet that has a whole city dedicated to restaurants."

"It's MICKEY and I would prefer some human food, not some weird alien stuff."

Rose laughed and said "oh come on Mickey, it's good to try a new thing, that's why we are out here."

Mickey threw his hands up in the air "alright fine, but my food better not be moving when I eat it."

The Doctor poked his head around the control console "oh come on Mickey, most people…."

Suddenly the TARDIS rocked violently and alarms went off. Rose and Mickey grabbed onto the railing while The Doctor held on to the console as sparks flew everywhere. "Doctor, what is happening?"

The Doctor turned to monitor towards him and was able to study it for a few moments before the monitor died and everything went dark. "The Time Vortex is gone, just vanished. Hold on we are going to crash." The TARDIS slammed down and then all was silent. The Doctor coughed and as he stood up he asked "Is everyone alright? " Rose and Mickey told him that they were. Then The Doctor looked at the center console and the pillar that connects it to the ceiling as smoke emits from the console and the pillar.

Rose got up and asked "What is going on Doctor?"

Without looking at Rose he replied "She's dead, the last TARDIS in existence is dead."

"Can't you fix it?"

The Doctor pushed a couple buttons "There is nothing to fix, without the Time Vortex the TARDIS dies."

"Well where are we?" asked Rose

"We are in the Void, outside of time and space of our own Dimension."

"Which apparently looks like a ship of some kind?"

The Doctor turned to see Mickey bringing his head back inside of the front door. "What?" The Doctor said has he ran to the front door and threw it open to reveal the TARDIS landed in an area partially surrounded by boxes and metal piping that seems to be criss-crossing everywhere. The Doctor could see a stairwell to the left and right that goes up. He could also hear the hum of engines as well.

Rose poked her head out of the TARDIS after The Doctor stepped out "Where are we Doctor?"

The Doctor stepped out and looked around everywhere before answering "On a ship of some kind, but something feels weird and different." Rose shook her head as she heard The Doctor start getting more and more excited like he usually does when they do something new.

Suddenly, they hear the flurry of footsteps getting closer and closer.

Rose sighs "Here we go again."

* * *

Commander Shepard exited the Med bay after learning that EDI had taken over Dr. Eva's body and headed for the main battery where she knew she would find Garrus. Sure enough, upon opening the door she saw Garrus working in an open panel of the main THANIX Magnetic-Hydrodynamic Cannon.

"Couldn't waste any time getting to work I see?" She said after stepping through and letting the door close.

Without turning from his work Garrus replied "Whatever is wrong with the Normandy isn't down here. Besides after what I have been through lately calibrating a giant gun is a vacation, gives me something to focus on."

Shepard smirked and leaned against the side of the THANIX gun "We are gonna need you for more than your aim."

"Oh I am ready for it, but I am pretty sure we still need giant guns and lots of them." Garrus replied as he crawled out of the panel he was working on and closed it up.

"Can't argue with that."

Garrus stood up and turned to Shepard "Yeah, so is this the part where we shake hands? I wasn't sure on the protocol for reunions or if you still felt the same way about me. The scars are starting to fade, I remember they drove you wild." Shepard started laughing at his antics, but Garrus continues "But I can go out and get all new ones if it will help."

Shepard blushed slightly at remembering the time they spent together before going through the Omega 4 Relay. "I haven't forgotten our time together."

Garrus stepped closer "Well I…" he started to say when suddenly EDI came over the intercom "Commander, we have an intruder alert."

Garrus went to his weapon table and grabbed two pistols, tossing one to Shepard as they headed out of the main battery to the elevator. "EDI, what is the intruder's location and how did they get on the ship?" Shepard said as she caught the pistol and checked it, making sure it was ready to use.

EDI met Shepard and Garrus in the mess hall outside of the med bay and accompanied them towards the elevator. "The intruder alert originated from the engineering sub-deck. I cannot formulate as to how they came aboard the Normandy. It seems as if they appeared in that location."

Shepard touched the com unit on her ear "Vega, get a security team and meet us on the engineering deck."

"Can do Lola, on our way." Vega replied through the com unit.

Shepard turned to EDI "Are the intruders still on the sub deck?"

"Yes Commander, they have not moved from that location."

The Elevator doors opened on the engineering deck to reveal James Vega in his customary Alliance T-Shirt and sporting his trusty M76 Revenant. Accompanying him were two Alliance soldiers that had been assigned to the Normandy. "What's the problem Shepard?"

Shepard and her team exited the elevator "Intruders in the sub deck."

Vega cocked his head to the side and had a baffled expression on his face "How did they get there without tripping the alarms?"

"Not sure, but they are still there. You take your team down the stairwell on that side and we will go down the other way." Replied Shepard as she pointed to the door to engineering to the right of the elevator.

Vega put the expression on his face that he usually uses for combat "You got it Lola." He turned to the Alliance soldiers that he brought with him "Come on _vatos_, this way." With that, Vega and his team went through the door.

Shepard turned and led her team through the other door and got on the coms "We need them alive, no shooting unless you are fired upon." Shepard led the way down the stairwell and to the sub deck to find the strangest sight she had seen in her long career. She saw a large blue box and three people standing in front of it with their hands up. Shepard stood forward and said "Who are you and what are you doing on my ship?"

The tall man in the trench coat with the almost gravity defying hair stepped forward and spoke first "'Ello, I'm The Doctor, this is Rose and Mickey and we seem to be a little lost could you tell us where we are at?"

Shepard shared a look of confusion with Garrus who had what Shepard guessed was the Turian equivalent look of confusion and replied to The Doctor "You have no idea how you got here?"

"Oh I know how I got here, but I don't know where HERE is." The Doctor replied with an almost childlike amount of energy.

"You are on the SSV Normandy. Who sent you here?"

The Doctor tilted his head to the side and had the expression like he was thinking hard "Oh…, well no one sent us we are just travelers. By the way, could you tell me what year this is?"

Shepard grew more skeptical of this strange man with a British accent "It's 2185. Who the hell are you people?"

The Doctor got a concerned look on his face "That doesn't make any sense; humans shouldn't be this advanced yet. That must mean….. Oh think, think, think….that's it, we are in an alternate dimension that explains what happened with the TARDIS."

Shepard shook her head at The Doctor's ramblings "TARDIS, alternate dimension…. What the hell is going on here?"

The blonde girl, Rose looked at The Doctor "Doctor shouldn't we tell them, they could help us."

The Doctor turned back to Rose "Hmmm? Oh yeah well long story short is that we are from an alternate dimension and we seem to be stuck here."

"_Madre de Dios"_ exclaimed Vega.

The Doctor suddenly straightened up and said "Wait, I will be right back." The Doctor ran into the blue box and was gone for a little while. When he came out he held a small green crystal in his hand that pulsated with light. Upon seeing the crystal, Shepard and her crew brought their guns back to ready stance. The Doctor motioned with his hand and said "Oh, put those down this is not a weapon of any sort."

Mickey walks around to take a better look "Then what is it?" The Doctor holds the crystal up "This, Ricky, could be our ticket home. See this is an energy source from our universe." The Doctor pulls out his Sonic Screwdriver and adjusts a few settings and sonics the crystal for a while "I am setting it to charge so hopefully it will be enough to charge the TARDIS enough to bring her back to life, however it is going to be a while before it charges enough to take us home, so for now we are guests of our friends here."

Shepard lowered her weapon and motioned for others to lower theirs. She still didn't fully trust or believe this Doctor but something in her told her that he was no threat to her, her crew, or her mission. "You don't know about the war then do you?"

The Doctor turned to Shepard and all sense of merriment left him in an instant "What war?"

Shepard sighed "We have a lot to catch you all up on. Please come with me and we will get you three set up in the starboard observation lounge. We don't have beds available but there are couches you can use." With that, Shepard turned and led them from the subdeck.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Doctor and his companions walked into the starboard observation lounge after being on tour of the Normandy and being filled in on the war with the Reapers for the last few hours. Rose and Mickey plopped down on one of the couches while the Doctor paced around in front of the window where they could see the stars moving by in the midst of swirling hues of blue and purple. After a while, Mickey asked "So what are we going to do Doctor? This war is nothing like I have ever heard of."

The Doctor continued to pace back and forth muttering to himself and ignoring Mickey. Mickey looked aghast at being ignored "What, are you ignoring me?" he turned his head to Rose "Is he ignoring me again? He always ignores me and…."

Rose put her hand up to calm Mickey "Let him think this is a lot to take in." Which is true, everything that had happened in the last few hours was still spinning around her head. It wasn't the aliens aboard the ship that bothered her, Rose had seen enough aliens to not affect her and the ones she met on the Normandy were kind to her the…what do you call them…. Asari? Yeah that's it, Asari. Liara was very kind and Garrus was a comedian if she ever saw one. Rose could tell there was a strong bond between those two, Shepard, and Vega (when he wasn't hitting on her). The thing that bothered her was that all these people in the galaxy were facing extinction by a race that seemed to have no other purpose than to wipe out all life in the galaxy. Rose had no idea what to do next so she fell back to trusting The Doctor who always came for her and get them out of whatever problem they got themselves into.

The Doctor continued pacing and talking to himself in silence for a while then he turned and looked between Rose and Mickey. "This war is possibly the worst war I have seen since the Time War ended. On one hand this is not our universe to meddle in…"

"But Doctor, we cannot let these people fight without our help they will die." Rose exclaimed not believing that there is a possibility that they cannot help these people prevent their own extinction.

The Doctor turned and put his hand up to silence Rose's protestations "Ah, I wasn't finished yet. I cannot over look the fact that these people need our help. I can't turn away from them. But if we are going to do this we need to see it through to the end."

Mickey stood up "Wait a second Doctor, are you actually considering staying here longer than it would take to charge the TARDIS and go home?"

Rose stood up as well at hearing this and stood close to Mickey "YES he is, what if it was our home our Earth that was going to be destroyed wouldn't you want to have as many people as possible fighting to protect it? And if it wasn't for the Doctor helping us we would have no home to go back to. So what if it isn't our home, they deserve any help that we can give them. "

Mickey hung his head low at Rose practically yelling the cold truth at him while the Doctor just looked on wide eyed at her outburst. Rose turned to see both of their reactions "Sorry, I don't know where that came from."

The Doctor clapped his hands together "Well, that about solves it you two get some rest." He said as he strolled towards the door.

Rose turned to The Doctor "Where are you going?"

The Doctor turned on his heels "Oh well, Just look around and … and stuff, I'll be right back." As he backpedaled out of the door and it closed on his patented "I'm going to be getting into trouble" smile.

Right after the door closed Mickey said "He is going to get into trouble again isn't he?"

Without turning to him Rose replied "Yup."

* * *

Shepard shuffled into her cabin after getting her new visitors up to speed on what Intel they had on the Reapers so far which mainly consisted of information that Shepard had been gathering since heading to Eden Prime all those years ago on the old Normandy with Nihlus scoping her out as a potential SPECTRE candidate. As she turned on some soothing music to play to calm her nerves, she kept thinking that it was hard to relive all of the pain that retelling how she and her crew blundered through fighting Saren and the Collectors while trying to find anything that could help them prevent their own destruction. Shepard didn't want to admit it especially to anyone else but she hoped that this strange Doctor would have the answers she needed to combat the Reapers.

The door chime interrupted her musings "Come in" she said. To her pleasure she saw Garrus walking in with his usual almost carefree stride that he took when he didn't have a sniper rifle in hand. "I hope I am not disturbing you."

Shepard gave Garrus a faint smile "Not at all Garrus, I just finished giving our guests the introductory tour to our dimension."

"Ah did you make them sign the waver or was that after you give them the brochure, they really should send a memo out for these things."

Shepard laughed; he always seemed to have a one-liner or a good joke always handy. "No, they signed it but it will take a few weeks for the shirts to come in."

"I wonder what it will say 'I fought the Reapers and all I got was this lousy T-shirt'. Why haven't we gotten those yet?" Garrus retorted.

Shepard shrugged her shoulders "Who knows with Alliance Reqs these days. What brings you up here Garrus, you're usually calibrating something at this time of night."

Garrus laughed "Ah-ha that's a good one. I figured I would do something constructive for a change and see how you are doing; you looked rough giving those visitors the grand tour."

Shepard sighed at remembering and sat down on her couch "It isn't easy Garrus, all the death that has happened and knowing that a lot more are going to die before this is over. The only thing that makes this easier is the fact that I have people like you and the others at my side who I can count on."

Garrus sat down next to her and put a hand on her knee "That's what we do Shepard and just know that you have the best shot in the galaxy covering you the whole way."

Shepard turned to face Garrus with a wry grin on her face "That remains to be seen Vakarian, if I remember right I beat you last time we had a…." Shepard was again interrupted by the door chime. "Come in" she said as they both stood up to see the Doctor walk in. "Ello, sorry to interrupt but I wanted to come right away to give you the good news. We are going to stay and help you out anyway we can."

Shepard was ecstatic at the news, but she didn't let it show. "Excellent Doctor, I will have Liara speak with your companions to see how they can help out. Is there anything the three of you need?"

"Just some light reading let's say everything that has happened in the last hundred and fifty years that should get me up to speed along with technical specifics for the technology you use here." Replied the Doctor as he stuffed his hands in his pocket.

Shepard stood wide eyed at the amount of information that he was requesting "That is a lot of information to go through you will be reading that for months."

The Doctor laughed a little "Well it would be surprising if that lasted the night."

"That's not possible." exclaimed Garrus.

"Not possible for you, easy for me." said the Doctor.

Shepard shook her head "Just who or what are you?" she couldn't believe this man the more she learns about him, the more impossible he seems.

The Doctor donned the largest grin Shepard had seen yet "I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" said Shepard and Garrus at the same time.

The Doctor continued his smile "That's the question isn't it?" as the Doctor turned to leave he turned back around at the door and said "Oh, you got a message commander." With that he left Shepard's cabin.

Garrus looked at Shepard as she went to her terminal to find that she indeed had a new message. "That is one strange human."

"Definitely strange but he is willing to help and seems to be incredibly…." Shepard trailed off as she read the message on her terminal.

"What is it?" asked Garrus as he came around to put a comforting hand on Shepard's shoulder.

Shepard breathed a heavy sigh "Thane is in Huerta Memorial Hospital and wants to see me as soon as possible. Apparently he tried to contact me when I was detained but I never got any of his messages."

"Are we going to see him?" asked Garrus.

Shepard was silent for a moment then started to smile as an idea came to her. "Yeah we are and we are going to see if our friend the Doctor lives up to his name."

* * *

Shepard walked through the door to the starboard observation lounge to see Rose and Mickey lazing on the couches watching the stars fly by the window. Shepard looked around before saying "Where is the Doctor?"

Rose turned to Shepard "He is not here, he's been gone for a while."

"EDI, can you locate the Doctor for me please." Shepard said to the ships AI.

"I cannot locate the Doctor anywhere on the Normandy, Shepard." EDI replied.

Rose stood up "Hang on, I know where he went. Follow me."

Shepard shrugged her shoulders and followed Rose to the elevator. They pressed the button to call the elevator and Rose looked around and paused upon seeing the memorial wall. "Were these all the people that died on this ship?" said Rose as she stared at the names on the wall.

Shepard turned and moved closer to the wall. "Yes, those that died on this ship and on the original Normandy over two years ago."

The elevator dinged indicating that it had reached their level and the door opened and they let a few Alliance crew members off before stepping on and Rose asking to take them to the floor that they were found on. Shepard pressed the button for the Engineering deck and the doors closed and the elevator moved. Rose led the way down to the sub deck and paused in front of the TARDIS.

Shepard studied the TARDIS "What is this?"

Rose just smiled, unlocked the doors and threw them open. Shepard stepped inside and looked around in astounded awe at the inside of the TARDIS. Sure enough, the Doctor stood up from the other side of the control panel and said "OH, Ello I was going to save this for later but welcome to the TARDIS Commander Shepard

Shepard looked around speechless for a few moments then said "It's bigger on the inside. How is this possible? What is this?"

The Doctor bounded over to stand near Rose and Shepard "This is the TARDIS, T-A-R-D-I-S. Stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. This is how we came to be in your dimension. Now what can I help you with?"

Shepard shook herself out of her reverie "I have a friend that needs your help Doctor. He suffers from a disease and you may be his last hope."

The Doctor suddenly became serious "Take me to him."

Shepard nodded her head "We are already en-route to the Citadel now. I have what information that I can get here with me that we can go over before we arrive."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Commander Shepard and the Doctor stepped out of the elevator at Huerta Memorial Hospital. Shepard looked around and saw Thane punching air near the large window that looks out onto the presidium. The Doctor scooted off to find Thane's physician. Thane seemed to sense Shepard's presence as he turned to greet Shepard as soon as she got close "Commander Shepard, when I heard Earth was under attack I tried to call. I never got through."

Shepard smiled at Thanes concern for her "Thane, good to see you staying in shape."

Thane shifted to a more relaxed stance upon noticing Shepard's smile. "My disease kills slowly, with enough care and a healthy lifestyle it can be delayed for a few years. Of course, my allotted time has come and gone. Now I exercise because it pleases me. What are you doing here?"

Shepard motioned for Thane to take a seat in the chairs that faced the window "I am actually here for two reasons one to visit a friend of mine, Ashley, she got hurt protecting me."

"The dark-haired human woman in intensive care… she will be starting physical therapy with my class soon."

Shepard nodded "That's her."

"If she means something to you, then I will help how I can. As long as she is here, consider her under my protection."

Shepard smiled and reached out and put a hand on his shoulder "I appreciate it, Thane."

Thane smiled in return "I am near the end of my life. It is a good time to be generous. What was the other thing that you were here for?"

"I may have found someone who can cure Kepral's Syndrome. "

"Ah, the dark-haired human male that you entered with." Thane still impressed Shepard with his keen observation even when he is close to death and with his back turned. "Curious, as far as I know there is no cure for Kepral's Syndrome."

"He says that he has experienced something similar where he comes from and may be able to synthesize a cure. I won't go into detail here about it, but I trust that he will try anything to help you."

Thane looked away from Shepard and stared out the window "I am at peace with my life, though if he does what you say he does it would allow me the opportunity to help you with the reapers."

Shepard and Thane stood up "Then let's hope he is as good as he says he is." Said Shepard "In fact, I should probably check on him see what is going on."

Shepard and Thane shook hands while Thane replied "I shall be here when you need me, I require daily medical attention due to my disease."

Shepard nodded her head and went in search of The Doctor. She found him in one of the labs speaking at a rapid pace with a Salarian and a Human scientist. The Doctor waved to Shepard "Ello, me and these fine fellows were discussing your friend's predicament and we might just have it."

The Salarian cleared his throat and said "Ahem, yes your companion here was showing us some…rather unorthodox procedures but there might be a treatment that we can use to reverse the disease but they will take some time."

Shepard arched her brow "How long are we talking about?"

"Just a few days at most once we are sure that the procedure and medications will be effective." Replied the Salarian.

Shepard turned to the Doctor "Very well then Doctor, I will leave you to it. When you are ready to rejoin us, just give me a communiqué and we will either return or arrange Alliance transport." The Doctor nodded in agreement. As Shepard turned to leave she heard the Doctor ask one of the scientists "Isn't there a shop here, just a little one. Every hospital needs a shop." Shepard just smiled to herself as the door closed cutting off the conversation from the rest of the hospital. Her smile softened as she approached the door to what will be the second hardest conversation that she will have today. Shepard opened the door to Ashley's room to see her conversing with Councilor Udina "I'd like an answer , Lieutenant Commander. The galaxy has need of exceptional soldiers like you—now, more than ever. "

Ashley winced as she turned her head to Udina to reply "I still need time. You'll have my answer soon, I promise."

Udina nodded his head "I look forward to it." He turned to leave. Udina stopped in front of Shepard and said "Shepard" and kept on walking. Shepard replied with "Udina" right as the door closed. Shepard shook her head, she couldn't stand Udina most days and this was definitely one of those days. Shepard stepped further in and let the door close behind her "I got your email. Made your decision yet?"

Ashley adjusted herself and winced slightly in pain "On becoming a Spectre? Not yet. It's and honor and all… but… I don't know. I need to think about it some more." Shepard hated seeing her friend beat up like this. Most of Ash's face was bruised from the beating she took from Dr. Eva on Mars. Shepard sat down on a stool that was sitting next to Ash's bed and said "It's a big decision. Smart to give it some thought." Shepard pulled out a book that was titled "The Collected Works of Alfred Tennyson" and handed it to Ash "Here I got you something, figured you had a little bit of downtime."

Ashley brightened up at the book in Shepard's hand. "Thanks, that's sweet. I've been climbing the walls. The nurse said you checked in on me earlier. Still out cold, I guess."

"We didn't have time to talk. I thought maybe is you were up for it…"

Ashley sat up, wincing in pain. "Yeah. I wasn't sure you wanted to. You were pretty clear on Mars about where things stood."

Shepard narrowed here eyes slightly "What do you mean?"

"You're not part of Cerberus anymore. Case closed. Full stop."

"It's the truth."

Ashley sighed as she laid back down "Okay. You cut all ties. I accept that. It's just that if you're givin the orders, I need to be able to count on you."

Shepard started to get a little frustrated at Ash's bull headedness. "That works both ways. It's a damn mess out there. All we've got is the people around us. We have to trust each other or this doesn't work, Deal?"

Ashley thought for a moment then nodded and said "Deal."

Shepard stood up and said "When you're back on your feet, we'll talk some more."

Ashley stopped Shepard before she could leave. "Shepard… wait. There's one more thing. I wasn't sure if I should mention it."

Shepard turned and sat back down. "What is it?"

Ashley sighed and composed herself before she spoke "I have family back on Earth. I…I haven't heard from them. It's making me crazy. But I know you're busy Shepard. We can talk later."

Shepard thought for a moment torn between wanting to get back to the Normandy and wanting to rebuild at least a little trust between her and what used to be one of her closest friends. Shepard decided to listen to Ashley "I've got time to talk. Who's back on Earth?"

"Mom plus my three sisters. The youngest, Sarah, was away on her honeymoon. Married a military man. Thomas. He got called back in and she was stuck alone. She called me. It's been pretty tough."

Shepard nodded her head. "I imagine."

Ash smiled slightly at remembering her family. "I was always there to protect them growing up. Even when I was off on tour, they knew they could talk to me. I told her to come to the Citadel. We can wait for news together."'

Shepard nodded "I am sure she will make it. I should get back to it. Take care of yourself."

Ashley gave a weak salute "Will do, Commander."

Shepard smiled at Ash and her attempt at a salute as she walked out of the door. As she walked by the lab where the Doctor was wearing a pair of glasses and working with medical equipment in what seems to be a practiced flurry. A small amount of hope swelled within her at the thought that Thane might be saved. Shepard did miss Thane and how he always seemed to be calm and collected even in some of the desperate situations that they used to find themselves in. As Shepard got in the elevator to head back to the Normandy she hoped that the summit meeting would go well but considering she was going to put a certain Krogan in the room with a Turian and a Salarian and try to tell them to get along. Shepard could tell that things were about to get very interesting.

* * *

Mickey put the gun up to his shoulder and squeezed the trigger like he was taught to and watched as the can that was on top of some crates that have been set up at the end of the shuttle bay fly off and disappear behind the crates. Both Vega and Cortez started clapping as Mickey lined up the next shot with one of the remaining cans. Cortez laughed and said "Ha ha, hey Vega he might be a better shot than you."

Vega pushed him slightly "Why don't you step up next and give it a shot?"

Cortez shook his head "No way, I am a pilot not a soldier. Besides, I don't want to hurt your ego any more than it has been."

Mickey laughed at the conversation that those two had been having since they started training Mickey. He was learning quite quickly, he had some trouble with ejecting the thermal clip with out burning his hand but he eventually got it with some burns and a copious amount of medi-gel. Mickey managed to take out the other cans before having to eject the thermal clip again. After Mickey popped the thermal clip and put a new one in he set the M-8 Avenger that he was using down and turned to Vega, "So what now?"

Vega got a large smile on his face "Now for some CQB." He said as he started walking out to the middle of the shuttle bay.

Mickey was puzzled, he had never heard of that before. "What is CQB?" He asked as he followed Vega.

Vega turned with a boyish smile on his face "Close Quarters Combat."

Mickey stopped with a shocked expression on his face. "This is the future why do we need to learn this? Isn't the gun going to be enough?"

Vega shook his head "No way _amigo_, in fact it is even more necessary in this war than before. You get rushed by a horde of Husks, yeah you can take out quite a bit before they get close to you but there is still a high chance that they will jump on you and try to rip your face off. That's why the CQB."

Vega and Mickey started pacing around each other at this point. Vega noticed that Mickey has little experience due to his stance and pace. This inexperience became prevalent when Mickey charged Vega. Mickey became aware of this when Vega picked him up mid charge and tossed him like a rag doll across the shuttle bay. Mickey laid there for a moment stunned but not really hurt. A shadow came across him as Vega stood over him. "So Mouse what did you do wrong?" Vega asked as he extended out his hand to help Mickey up.

Mickey took it and got pulled up to stand on his feet. "Mouse?"

Vega shrugged his shoulders "Yeah, just my way to remembering people, I give nicknames to people and Mouse seemed to fit you."

"At least you didn't call me tin dog." Mickey muttered to himself.

For the next few hours, Vega taught Mickey numerous different take down methods for not only armed opponents but husks as well. Vega was impressed that Mickey was learning as quickly as he was and may soon be able to go on a mission soon. Vega soon called for them to have a break and they took a seat on some crates that Cortez had been sitting on watching the training session. Vega looked at Cortez and nodded. Cortez got up and walked over to a wall mounted locker and returned with a strange looking orange glove thing that Mickey had never seen before. "This is an Omni-tool, essentially a handheld computer that we use in the field, all soldiers have one." Cortez explained.

Vega turned his own Omni-tool on so it glowed with a bright orange glow. "They can also fabricate things like this." With that, a pulsating orange blade appeared on the back of the Omni-tool. "This is a new upgrade that we added since we started fighting the reapers."

Cortez held out the Omni-tool to Mickey. "Since you are training to be a soldier, we decided you have all of the equipment of a soldier. This Omni-tool is yours along with the M-8 Avenger you have been training with. We also have a spare set of Alliance armor for you that you can use when you go on missions."

Mickey was speechless as he was shown how to attach and use the Omni-tool. Once it was equipped correctly the tool disappeared and was invisible. Mickey could barely even feel that it was there. Cortez and Vega showed Mickey how to use the various features of the Omni-tool from the scanner and communicator array to the fabricator unit. Vega also showed Mickey how to fight using the Omni-blade feature. By the time they were done they felt the Normandy lurch slightly. "Must be at the meeting point for the summit." Stated Cortez, he then turned to Mickey "We better get you suited up."

* * *

"How do you manage all of this information?" Rose asked Specialist Traynor. Rose had been working with Traynor since they left the Citadel learning how to manage the intel that the Normandy receives so that they can keep up to date on all of the enemies movements. Traynor smiled "It took a little bit of getting used to but I find it an exciting challenge sifting through all of the combat data."

Rose shook her head "I don't know how you can do all of this and not be insane."

Traynor smiled at Rose "I think the insane ones are the ones that go out and get shot at. I always worry every time Commander Shepard and her teams go out. I am no soldier but I do what I can here managing the intelligence."

Rose flicked her hair as she turned to face Traynor and lean against the console. "This is just as important if not more as the ones who go out on the missions. Since I have been travelling with the Doctor I have found that the ones who win are the ones who have the most information thankfully the Doctor either has all the information or he finds it quick. He has saved our lives more times than I can count."

Traynor smiled as she turned her head to face Rose "Sounds like you are pretty caught up on him aren't you?"

Rose sighed "I was, but now I am not so sure. See, he has…..changed, he is a different man from the one I fell in love with. But even some changes I can't help but love him, I am just not sure if he still feels the same way about me."

Traynor frowned at hearing Rose talk about the Doctor. Traynor put her hand on Rose's shoulder "Don't worry as beautiful as you are no one can resist you for long." Traynor was speaking from personal experience as she found an attraction to the pretty blonde girl from England.

Rose had a little smile on her face at Traynor encouraging her. "Thank you Ms. Traynor…"

Traynor shook her head "Please, call me Sam." She said as the ship lurched signifying them arriving at their destination. Traynor pushed a button on the console and said "Commander, we have arrived at the coordinates for the summit meeting."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author notes: Sorry for the delay of the chapter, been dealing with moving stuffs. chapters maybe less frequent than before, but don't worry I haven't forgotten about you guys, i just won't have constant access to the internet. Anyways I took some liberties with some of the dialogue in this chapter. anyways, as always reviews are always accepted and wanted. Thank you guys.**

Chapter 4

"The Krogan is in no position to make demands!" Shepard heard as she walked to the briefing room. She paused and shook her head in disbelief at this monumental task set before her. Shepard steeled herself for the task before walking around the glass into the briefing room to hear "The 'krogan' has a name: Urdnot Wrex. And I am not some junkyard varren you unleash whenever you are in trouble." To accentuate his point Wrex slammed his fist down on the table, chipping away small bits of wood. Wrex saw Shepard take her position at the table and gave a respectful nod to his old friend that Shepard returned while hoping the next blow the Wrex deals won't be on the Salarian Dalatrass's face.

Wrex continued his statement "I've got my own problems. Reaper scouts have been sighted on Tuchanka. So why should I care if a few Turians go extinct?" as he turned to Primarch Victus.

Victus did not seem to be phased in the slightest at Wrex's last statement "Trying to draw out negotiations will get you nowhere, Wrex. I have no time for it. Just tell us what you want."

"I'll tell you what I need…" Wrex stated as he started getting an intimidating smile on his face that he flashed between the Dalatrass and Victus "A cure for the Genophage."

The Dalatrass had a look of shock on her face that was priceless to Wrex as she retorted "Absolutely not! The Genophage is nonnegotiable!"

Shepard was hardly surprised at the Dalatrass's reaction to Wrex's request "Dalatrass, your people are going to die along with everyone else. Your people should have thought the matter through, then. Was really a surprise when the Krogan revolted?"

The Salarian Dalatrass turned her attention to Shepard "That's precisely my point, Commander. We made a rash decision. We turned to the Krogan in desperation. It's the same mistake you are planning to make today."

Now it was Shepard's turn to slam her fist on to the table "Damn it to hell Dalatrass, are you really willing to let your pride doom us to the Reapers? The Krogan have paid for their mistakes. The Genophage has gone on long enough."

"One thousand, four hundred, and seventy-six years, if you're keeping track." Wrex quipped with a very noticeable growl in his voice.

"It was a thousand years of peace free from these… brutes!" the Dalatrass shouted.

Victus growled low enough to make a Krogan proud before he threw up his hands and shouted "Enough! Whether or not they deserve a cure is academic. It would take years to formulate one."

Wrex pushed himself from leaning against the table with a smug grin on his face "My information says otherwise." Wrex walked around the table and pushed Victus out of the way to get to the control panel on the far side of the table before continuing "A salarian scientist, Maelon, grew a conscience. He was on my planet testing a cure on our females."

Shepard narrowed her eyes in remembering the hell of walking through Maelon's lab "I remember. His methods were barbaric."

"Ah, but what you didn't know is that other females survived his experiments. Wrex brought up a video on the view screen that depicted some sort of lab before continuing "So the Dalatrass here sent in a team to clean up the whole mess—and to take them prisoner."

The Dalatrass gasped at the indignation "Where did you get this? It could be a fabrication!"

Wrex growled and pointed a threatening finger at the Dalatrass, shouting "Don't insult me! Those are my people! They're immune to the Genophage, and you're going to give them back!"

Victus could not believe what he is hearing as he turned to face the Salarian "Dalatrass, is this true?"

"How will curing the Genophage benefit my people?"

Shepard sneered at how foolish the Dalatrass is being "How long do you think you'll last against the Reapers? Because if you don't help, that's how it'll end up."

Victus stepped forward "And I'll be the last friendly Turian you ever see."

Shepard glanced at Victus before turning her attention to the Salarian "Well Dalatrass, what is it going to be?"

The Dalatrass resigned herself to defeat and placed her fingers on either side of the ridge between her eyes. "The females are being kept at one of our STG bases on Sur'Kesh." Shepard started walking out of the briefing room now that she had the information she needed but she heard the Dalatrass continue "But I warn you, Commander! The consequences of this will be felt for centuries to come!"

Shepard's patience snapped at this as she turned and walked back to the table to stand across from the Dalatrass "So help me if I shouldn't shoot you where you stand for your ignorance. I couldn't give a damn about what you or any Salarian diplomat thinks, nothing will be compared to what happens if the Reapers win. And if you ever think about trying to stop us or get in our way, the billions of deaths that would happen would be on your hands."

Wrex stepped up to stand next to Shepard "Let's get the females."

"You're not setting foot on Sur'Kesh! This will take time to—"

Victus interrupted the Dalatrass with glee "It happens now. As a Council Spectre, Shepard can oversee the exchange."

"We're going." Shepard spat out before turning and leaving the briefing room.

The Dalatrass gave one last cry of defiance before Shepard, Wrex, and Victus went out of earshot "I won't forget this, Commander! A bully has few friends when he needs them most!" Of course those words fell on ears that did not care what the Dalatrass would remember or not

Shepard and her team were all loaded up and on their descent down to the planet of Sur'kesh. Shepard turned to her team all crammed into the shuttle "All right, here's how we are going to do this, I will take Garrus and Liara with me to retrieve the females, Mickey, Cortez and Wrex I need you guys to stay with the shuttle."

Wrex stepped forward "Like hell that is going to happen Shepard, I am going with you to get those females."

Shepard stepped forward getting into Wrex's face "Stow it Wrex, I don't need you starting a war on the Salarians homeworld while we are trying to get their support." Shepard turned away while she addressed the rest of the team "They aren't used to seeing Krogan here so let's keep it simple. We land, get the females, and leave before anyone changes their mind."

Wrex grumbled to himself b speaking aloud "I still don't trust a word they say."

Shepard smirked at his grumblings "Let diplomacy play out, Wrex. You'll get what you want."

Wrex scowled "These females are the best and probably last hope for my people."

Mickey stepped forward "Oi mate, we'll get them and bring them back right quick."

Wrex turned to assess this new Human. "Who is this Shepard, bringing more stays onboard the Normandy?" Wrex asked while laughing.

Shepard was not amused "This is Mickey and he will be covering you on this mission."

Wrex stopped laughing and clapped Mickey on the back almost knocking him over "Bah I was just messing with you squirt." Wrex turned to Shepard and the rest "I am glad it's you here Shepard, I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride."

Garrus coughed loudly from where he was leaning against the side of the shuttle.

Wrex got that malevolent smirk "I suppose I can make room for you, too, Garrus." Wrex followed that with a creepy chuckle.

Garrus was unphased "Figured you'd gone soft sitting on your throne, forgot how to hold a gun."

Cortez interrupted the banter "Commander, I have the Salarian base on sensors."

Shepard nodded her head "Set her down."

The shuttle drifted in towards the facility and as the shuttle hovered over the landing zone, Cortex got a warning signal "Commander, Salarian ground control says we don't have clearance to land."

Shepard narrowed her eyes in anger "Tell them the Dalatrass authorized this herself."

From the main compartment they heard Wrex say "I knew they'd never keep their word! Let's see them try to stop a Krogan airdrop." As Wrex moved towards the door and hit the button to open the hatch.

Mickey looked between Shepard and Wrex "What is he doing?" Shepard turned and shouted "WREX!" as Wrex leaped off the shuttle and landed on the ground as a number of Salarians ran forward guns at the ready. Over the roar of the engines they heard "We have an unauthorized landing" coming over the loudspeakers.

Wrex stepped forward towards the Salarians "And who authorized you to hold my race hostage?" Wrex used his biotics to throw the two closest Salarians into a support beam. He then pulled out his shotgun as red lights started to roam over his body to mark his vital organs and his head. Wrex saw the dots and followed them back to a pair of Salarian snipers that were positioned on a rooftop affording them a clear view of the LZ. Shepard and the rest of the team minus Cortez leaped out after Wrex, including Mickey who stumbled a bit before rising to his feet. More Salarians stormed to the LZ with their guns and Omni-tools raised. "Halt!" one of them shouted. Neither side budged and the stuation grew more tense before a frantic voice called out "Stand down! Hold your fire!" A Salarian in black battle armor ran between the two sides "Commander Shepard, restrain your colleague. We only found out about this transfer a few moments ago."

Shepard relaxed her stance "I'd like to avoid a diplomatic incident." Shepard stepped forward to meet this newcomer "As would we." He replied.

"But you have something valuable to Wrex." Stated Shepard

"Something worth dying for." Wrex growled from the back near the shuttle.

The Salarian shook his head "This matter can be resolved, but I must insist he remain under guard."

Wrex gave a grunt of disagreement as Shepard turned her head to address her pissed-off Krogan friend "I can handle this, Wrex."

Wrex hated this idea but trusted Shepard "Anything goes wrong, and all bets are off." He replied while putting his shotgun up. The shuttle landed while 3 Salarians tried to get Wrex to give up his shotgun, which wasn't going to happen. Shepard walked with the Salarian as he introduced himself "I'm Padok Wiks, and I appreciate your understanding , Commander. With way on everyone's minds, our people are on edge." He paused as they saw a Yahg being loaded with a heavy duty looking system. Padok continued "As you can see, this base contains sensitive information."

Shepard turned to face Padok "Does that include studying lost Krogan?"

Padok sighed "The females were in poor health when we found them on Tuchanka. They were brought here to stabilize their condition."

They turned to see Wrex and Mickey being 'escorted' by a group of Salarians when Wrex says "This whole planet smells wrong."

Mickey gave Wrex a baffled look as he sniffed the air "I don't smell anything wrong here."

Wrex turned to Mickey "Can't you smell it, smells like… lizard."

Shepard shook her head as she turned her attention back to Padok "I'd like to see them."

"Of course. I'll need to clear you for the lower levels. Give me a few moments, and meet me near the elevator."

It was nice to see Mordin again though Shepard wished it had been under better circumstances she though as she ran down a corridor, hearing explosions from one of the upper levels. Cerberus had attacked shortly after confirming that there was one female survivor from Maelon's experiments. Mordin was currently in the process of taking her up to the landing area but had these bothersome Quarantine checkpoints that they had to be buzzed through. Shepard heard crashing that was followed by a large beast that looked eerily like the previous Shadow Broker before Liara took over. "Oh look, there goes the next Shadow Broker." Shepard heard Garrus quip from behind her. "That's not funny." Replied Liara, Shepard couldn't tell if she was actually bothered or humored by that thought as they continued down the hall way racing to beat Mordin to the next check point.

"MOVE OVER!" Wrex shouted at Cortez as he literally pulled him out of the seat to take his place at the controls of the shuttle. Mickey was stunned at how Cortez was evicted from the pilots seat "Oi, what do you think you are doing?"

Wrex turned in the seat to look at Mickey as he growled "What does it look like I am doing? I am flying this hunk of junk." Wrex pulled the shuttle off the landing pad and started flying gunning for the Cerberus attack ships that had flown in and bombarded the facility and were setting up for another run. "Besides, this battle needs a Krogan touch and I plan to show these lizards how a KROGAN does battle." Wrex stated with laughter in his voice as he pulled the shuttle to one side, colliding with a Cerberus attack ship that had come up alongside them, sending it colliding into a building. Wrex chuckled before saying "Oops, hope that was insured. Haha."

Mickey was holding on for dear life as the shuttle bounced and pitched as Wrex was performing evasive maneuvers. Cortez was assisting from the Co-Pilots seat. Mickey was almost thrown to the floor when the shuttle jumped up and down "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US KILLED?" Mickey shouted at Wrex.

Wrex turned in his seat and growled at Mickey "Boy, I am what is keeping us alive. You want out then you better jump, otherwise shut up or I am going to play hopscotch in your chest cavity."

Mickey grumbled but he didn't voice his opinions out loud as Wrex continued flying like a drunken Krogan taking out gunships while waiting for Shepard to return with the female. Shepard better get her out in one piece or Wrex was going to take it out on her hide, Wrex had to let a cure go once on Virmire and he was not going to let this opportunity go by again.

Shepard ducked behind a pillar as a flurry of bullets whizzed by where she was just a fraction of a second earlier. She looked across the way where Garrus and Liara were stacked up along a similar pillar. Shepard popped around the corner and fired off a volley before ducking back around the corner. Shepard knew that the Female was getting close to the last checkpoint and they needed to be there so Cerberus couldn't get their greasy paws on her last hope for a Krogan/Turian alliance.

Liara leaned over Garrus and she shimmered a hazy blue and purple hue for a brief moment before releasing a biotic blast that threw one of the Cerberus soldiers screaming over the edge and into the valley below. Liara gave Shepard a smirk of amusement before ducking back behind Garrus again as an answering volley of bullets slammed into the pillar.

Shepard was getting tired of this, they had been pinned down here for longer then what she would have liked and every moment that passes without them reaching the checkpoint increased the possibility of failure on their part and Cerberus getting the female. Shepard pulled a grenade off of her, set the timer, peered around the corner and chucked it where the Cerberus soldiers were clustered up at. A few seconds later, Shepard and her team was greeted by screams of shock and alarm as the grenade blew up. Peering around the corner, Shepard saw that the grenade had done its job and cleared out the soldiers. She waved for Garrus and Liara to follow and she hurried down the pathway getting closer and closer to the last checkpoint. "And here I was hoping we could have had enough time to paint a picture, could have sold it on the extranet titled 'Cerberus getting stomped by sexy red head', would have made a fortune." Shepard heard Garrus quipped as they hurried along the corridor. Shepard smiled at his antics, leave it to Garrus to find humor in the middle of a fire fight.

Liara spoke up at this point "We are almost to the last security checkpoint." Shepard rounded the door to find multiple Cerberus soldiers rushing about trying to secure the area and trying to get through the containment field to get the female. Shepard fired a burst of rounds at the closest soldier's head and as it exploded in a burst of red mist, his comrades turned and opened fire on Shepard and her squad. They hid behind the stone railing while a rain of bullets chipped at what little cover they had. After a few minutes of intense fire and well placed Biotics, Shepard and her squad had taken the courtyard. Shepard moved over to the controls and was about to start the process for getting the Krogan female out of the containment field when she heard Wrex over the intercom "Shepard, you've got incoming!" Moments before she saw a large mech slam onto the courtyard and stand up straight, ready for combat.

Shepard quickly ducked behind a barrier as a powerful shot from the mech blasted a nice little crater where Shepard had been standing just a few seconds earlier. She barely heard Garrus over the din of gunfire "How come they get a mech and we have to walk everywhere?" Shepard chuckled before replying "Now I know what to get you for Christmas." Shepard popped around the corner and fired a burst at the mech and ducked back before a rocket shot past her. While the mech was distracted by Shepard, Liara popped up and fired off a burst from her SMG at the same time Garrus stood to get a lock with his Omni-tool to get the shields lowered on the mech. Shepard and Liara traded the mech's attention for a few minutes before Garrus confirmed that the shields were down. All three of them popped up and while Liara and Garrus got the mech's attention, Shepard fired a long burst at the back of it, her bullets puncturing the fuel lines and detonating the power supply of the mech causing it to explode in a mixture of blue and orange flames.

Garrus stood up from where he was crouching and looked around "That'll teach them to cheat."

Shepard just shook her head as she went to the panel that miraculously survived the firefight and punched in the code to lower the containment field. While the female and Mordin stepped out of the lift to join Shepard, Wrex landed the shuttle and bounded out, determined to make sure for himself that the harbinger of his peoples future was alive and well. Mickey stumbled out after him muttering to himself about crazy drivers. As everyone congregated by the shuttle, they heard two Cerberus soldiers running up to them. The Krogan female saw them first and grabbed the shotgun out of Wrex's hands and quickly eliminated the last stragglers. Mickey looked on in awe "Holy shit! Are all Krogans mental?"

Wrex laughed as he took his shotgun back from the female and pushed Mickey and the female on to the shuttle. "No, just a woman after my own hearts."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for your patience with this story. Moving is done with and regular updates should progress at a reasonable rate. Thank you guys for your support, and as always, reviews are welcome. In this chapter, I decided to have Shepard start showing the strain that opposing the Reapers has put her under and the moment alot of you have been waiting for has come, where Mordin meets The Doctor. **

Chapter 5

Shepard finally settled down on to her couch in her quarters after getting Mordin and the Krogan female, which Mordin has dubbed Eve, settled into the Medical Bay after much discussion about the cure and Mordin running tests on seashells after the war is over. Shepard could say one thing, Mordin definitely keeps life interesting. Chakwas and Mordin patched her up pretty good but she was still sore. The battle definitely took a lot out of Shepard and right now she was feeling it. Even though her hard suit had shielding units to slow down and stop incoming bullets, she still took a few grazes and had an excessive amount of bruises to her chest and abdomen. Shepard was sprawled out on her couch with the top half of her jumpsuit unzipped showing her in just a tank top which on the bright side left her stomach bare and was cooler for her than anything else but exposed her copius amount of bruises and scars. Shepard was not afraid of going into battle and she had the scarring to prove it, even after Cerberus resurrected her from the dead. Shepard started drifting to a blissful and restful sleep when she heard the door chime go off. Shepard silently cursed who ever invented that god-awful noise before saying "Enter", although she really wanted to tell who ever the hell is out there to go away, but duty calls.

In walked Garrus who looked over at Shepard still sprawled out on the couch, which was either from exhaustion or pain, Garrus couldn't tell and she was probably not going to tell him anyways. Garrus wore what Shepard guessed was the Turian equivalent of concern on his face, she was getting better with figuring that out, but it was still difficult at times to completely guess his body language. Garrus' mandibles fluttered before he spoke "Sorry if I am disturbing you Shepard, I just wanted to see how you are holding up."

Shepard gave a small smile before she sat up and motioned for Garrus to sit down. "It is no problem Garrus, you know I don't mind it when you 'disturb' me. Especially when we are alone. Like we are now."

Garrus leaned in closer to Shepard as he replied "Well we haven't had a lot of time to 'disturb' each other lately and I think we have some catching up to do."

Shepard smiled "I agree Vakarian, we do have catching up to do." She leaned in to kiss him.

And that was when that god forsaken door chime rang again. Shepard had to get her rage in check before she leaned back and gave a small growl "I swear I am going to have Adams remove that damn chime." Garrus chuckled even though he was as agitated as Shepard was at the interruption but he didn't show it. He had to be the calm and collected one for Shepard. Garrus could tell that she was under a lot of pressure and stress and even though she kept it covered and managed around others, he could tell it was starting to get to her. Garrus would do anything for Shepard and while she wouldn't admit that she needed extra help, Garrus was going to give it to her whether or not she wanted it.

Shepard stood up and zipped up her jumpsuit reverting herself to the Commander that she was around everyone. Garrus knew a whole different side of her, one that she only showed him. That side was the caring side, the one that showed the pain and stress that Shepard accumulated on a daily basis and one that with time and patience may allow Garrus in due time to carry her burdens. But that side was not out anymore. Commander Shepard was here, the invincible Valkyrie that unites fractured people and who's name brings her enemies trebling to their knees in fear. This side of her was what Garrus respected, but her other side was what allowed him to love her.

Once Commander Shepard had straightened herself up she called out "Enter."

The doors opened to reveal the Doctor's companion Rose striding in. Shepard was definitely curious as to what brought her to her quarters this late at night. "What can I do for you Rose?"

Rose brushed her unkempt blonde hair out of her eyes, she had been working with Specialist Traynor for the past twenty hours and she was exhausted. "Actually Commander there are two things I came up here for. The first is that we are on schedule with meeting up with the Doctor in a couple of hours and the second is that me and Specialist Traynor found something interesting that we would like to discuss with you and the Doctor when he returns."

Shepard raised an eyebrow in intrigue, Traynor was sharp so whatever it was had to be important. Shepard was tempted to have them go over it now, but she needed to rest and the potential input the Doctor had could prove valuable. "Very well, when the Doctor returns you and Specialist Traynor can update us on your progress. Thank you for the update Rose."

Rose nodded respectfully before shuffling out the door to find rest of her own. Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't let on how much discomfort she was in but it was taking its toll. Shepard plopped down on the couch and cuddled up next to Garrus. He clicked his mandibles and said "I wonder what they found out, could be something we should investigate…" He broke off as he looked down and saw that Shepard was passed out cold in his arm. Garrus gave a smile "It will wait till tomorrow."

* * *

"Docking procedure is complete Commander." Joker called out through the intercom. Shepard was standing in her customary place overlooking the Galaxy map drinking a much needed cup of coffee. She had woken up tucked into her bed after she had passed out on Garrus. Shepard heard the elevator doors open behind her. She turned to see Mordin talking rapidly with Rose, who apparently is quite used to disorganized and rapid chatter, something that the Doctor and Mordin had in common. Shepard gave a small smile at thinking about how this interaction was going to go between the two of them. Shepard stepped down and led Mordin and Rose to the airlock right behind the cockpit where Joker and EDI usually reside.

As they arrive the door opened to reveal the Doctor with a large boyish smile on his face "Allo there, did you miss me?" The Doctor stepped forward as Rose rushed up and hugged him. When they broke their embrace, Mordin stepped up and blinked at the Doctor several times and tilted his head in curiosity. "Intriguing." He activated his Omni-tool and scanned the Doctor, pulling up a detailed layout of the inside of his body. "Very intriguing, dual heart cardio-vascular system, Increased brain activity, highly adaptive cellular structure…" The Doctor had a look of worry and astonishment as he pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver "Oi, don't do that." He said as he soniced the Omni-tool and it shut off.

Mordin looked from the Omni-tool to the screwdriver for a moment before he messed with his Omni-tool and got it turned back on, this time scanning the Sonic Screwdriver. "Fascinating, a device in analog controls and no display, not reliant on Omni technology, uses a form of sub-sonic carrier waves. Deceptively advanced. What are you?"

The Doctor regained his customary grin "I'm the Doctor."

Mordin blinked in confusion several times. "Doctor refers to a title, customarily given to one of such status, not generally used as an identifying name, unusual way to describe yourself."

The Doctor smirked more "Well that's my name."

Mordin sighed in defeat as he realized that he was not getting any more information out of the Doctor. "Then lacking any other descriptor with which to identify you, Doctor will have to suffice."

Rose giggled at the exchange between the two of them. "Doctor, you get some strange enjoyment out of doing that don't you?"

The Doctor turned his head to face Rose and gave her an innocent expression "Enjoyment out of what?"

Shepard couldn't help but give a smile of her own at seeing the Doctor and Mordin together. They were going to get along great, if their egos could handle it. Shepard cleared her throat before addressing the group. "I hate to cut this reunion short, but Rose and Specialist Traynor uncovered something of note that they wanted to share with us once you got back Doctor."

Rose perked up at the mention of her name "Oh right, come on then." She grabbed the Doctors hand and pulled him along after her towards where Specialist Traynor was usually located. The Doctor called out to Rose as he was being pulled "Oi there Rose I'm the one who is supposed to drag you places, not the other way around."

Shepard and Mordin looked at each other and shook their heads before following the strange couple.

When everyone gathered around Traynor, she addressed everyone. "Last night, Rose and I uncovered a transmission from Eden Prime saying that they have discovered a Prothean artifact. But there is a problem, they report that they are under attack by Cerberus forces attempting to take the artifact."

Shepard narrowed her eyes in anger. The colonists on Eden Prime have already been through hell with Saren and the Geth, they didn't need Cerberus making things worse. Shepard activated the comms "Joker! Set course of Eden Prime."

"Oh boy, memory lane, here we come." Joker replied sarcastically.

* * *

Shepard stepped off the elevator already in her N7 hard suit as she went to her weapons locker to load up on her weapons. Garrus was already here checking his sniper rifle getting it ready and Liara was going over data on her Omni-tool. The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey were leaning against some of the crates. Mickey was in his hard suit and had his M8 Avenger ready to go while Rose and the Doctor were in their normal clothes and did not carry any weapons. Shepard was confused as she grabbed an extra pistol from the locker and held it out to the Doctor. "Here Doctor, you are going to need this."

The Doctor shook his head and gave the gun a look of disgust before he replied. "I don't use guns, can't stand them."

Shepard didn't understand his hatred and just shook her head "Very well Doctor, just follow my lead and keep your head down." As Shepard moved the pistol to put it back in the locker, Rose reached out and grabbed it from her grasp. Rose hefted the pistol with a sly grin on her face. "He may not use them, but I will."

The Doctor looked at Rose, his expression showing a mixture of amusement, shock, and disappointment. He didn't like guns at all, and while he preferred his companions to not use them, he couldn't stop them. Hell, Mickey already had gotten himself a set of armor and a gun while the Doctor was working on a cure for their friend Thane. Whom the Doctor had the opportunity to speak with at length and became fond of the Drell. While he couldn't agree with his profession, The Doctor did have a respect for Thane's view on life which was a healthy change from what the Doctor normally sees. The Doctor was confident that the cure he developed would save Thane's life and have him back in action before too long.

Rose noticed the look that she was getting from the Doctor. "Oi, don't give me that look there. Someone has to keep you alive out there. And I think that you would rather have me covering you than Mickey." This brought an exclamation of disagreement from Mickey as the Doctor replied to Rose, shaking his head. "I would rather neither of you use guns." Rose gave the Doctor a carefree smile. "Too bad." She told him as she reached up and kissed him on the check before running off to have Vega teach her how to use this pistol.

The Doctor watched her trot off, shaking his head some more "Tylers. Definitely her mother's daughter." He muttered under his breath as he pushed himself up off of the crates. "Come on Ricky, let's get aboard." He told Mickey as he walked over to the shuttle. Mickey growled, "It. Is. Mickey." He then followed the Doctor onto the shuttle.

Shepard chuckled to herself. The camaraderie that those three had reminded her of her own crew, they were already fitting in just fine on the Normandy. She turned her head to look at Garrus and Liara "If either of you two forgets my name like that, we are going to have problems." She told them with amusement in her voice.

Without missing a beat, Garrus replied back "Whatever you say Sheepheard."

Liara snorted in laughter. Shepard gave Garrus a fake angry face as she grabbed a random piece of electrical component from the workbench and tossed it at him. Garrus caught it and tossed it over his shoulder as he replied "Watch out everyone, Shepard throws like a girl."

Vega poked his head from where he was instructing Rose on using her pistol, laughing as he shouted back. "You might want to be careful there Vakarian, Lola might throw like a sissy but she has a mean right hook."

Liara stepped forward at this point. "So does this mean that Vega knows this from experience?"

Cortez stepped around from behind the shuttle where he was running some last minute checks. "Tell me the part again where Vega got beat by a girl that never gets old."

Shepard walked past all of them towards the shuttle shaking her head, barely able to keep from bursting out with laughter. "Keep laughing people, it's only your commander you are making fun of." Shepard paused at the door of the shuttle and turned back to all of the rest of them. "Besides, it is not Vega's fault that my grandmother punches harder than him." With that she disappeared inside the shuttle.

Garrus, Liara, Rose, and Cortez headed for the shuttle laughing hysterically. Garrus turned back to Vega before he entered the shuttle to address him. "Apparently Shepard doesn't take prisoners Vega."

Vega waved a dismissing hand at Garrus, "Just don't challenge her to a duel Scars and you won't have to find out."

Garrus stepped into the shuttle chuckling to himself, knowing full well that he isn't stupid enough to try to fight Shepard, though there was still the question of who was the better shot to address. Garrus might have a shot with that one. Depends on how generous Shepard was feeling.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thank you, my faithful readers for your patience. I do apologize for the length of time between chapters. Here is an extra long one for you guys for your patience, packed with alot of action and more insight into the characters. As always reviews are welcome. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 6

The shuttle bounced and rocked as they entered through the atmosphere of Eden Prime. Liara was studying an orbital hologram of Edem Prime. She sighed with exasperation "Eden Prime, this is where it all began. Where the Pro…."

"Ooohhhh, I remember this planet, of course from my universe, this was the main galactic hub for the fourth great and bountiful human empire. It is a quite a tragedy what happened to this planet." The Doctor was staring out of the front viewscreen, looking over Cortez's shoulders. Rose was holding on to one of the overhead straps to keep herself from falling due to the shuttle's jostling as it entered orbit. "What happened to the planet?"

The Doctor looked back at Rose, with a small amount of sadness on his face. "The planet imploded, experimental weapon system malfunctioned. There was a nice little café in the town square, sold the most delicious biscuits in the entire empire." The Doctor gave Rose a big smile as he went back to viewing their descent towards the planet's surface. Rose gave a smile at his antics, nothing could keep the Doctor down for long. Mickey, who was standing next to Rose, scoffed. "He is bonkers, he mentions a planet imploding and all he can think about is biscuits? That man is daft."

Garrus walked up next to Mickey, "Actually, he is probably the sanest person in this shuttle…" This elicited a look of indignation from Mickey, a raised eyebrow from Shepard and a small cough from Liara. Garrus ignored his squadmates and continued "…Anyways, war is incredibly brutal and it changes anyone who is caught in it. Soldiers cope with it in different ways, some bury it inside themselves, others use humor to deflect the pain. That is most likely his way of dealing with what he had lived through."

Liara spoke up at this point, "So what do the Krogan do?"

Garrus grinned a little and clicked his mandibles "They head butt the closest thing to them."

Liara covered her mouth to hide her smile. Shepard chuckled in response "That explains the dents in Grunt's quarters then."

That elicited a chuckle from Garrus and Liara. They sat in silence a moment before the Doctor walked back to join the rest of them. "So what is the planet in your universe?" Rose asked.

Shepard and her squad went silent, Liara spoke up first "Eden Prime is where everything began, it is where the Prothean Beacon was uncovered at…"

Garrus shifted and spoke next. "And where Saren launched his first major attack with the Geth."

"Yes, and now with Cerberus here, Eden Primes colonists are under attack again."

Shepard looked between her squadmates "It's hard to believe that it had only been three years."

"Cerberus hit Eden Prime hard, whatever they found here was worth a major offensive. There are other survivors elsewhere on the planet, but… they killed everyone near the dig site."

Shepard frowned "Cerberus will not get away with this, Eden Prime has already suffered enough." The determination in her voice made it abundantly clear that Shepard intended to enact retribution on Cerberus, and no one will stop her from doing so.

"Do we have any idea on what artifact was uncovered?" The Doctor asked the question that had been bugging him since they arrived in orbit.

Liara shook her head "The Alliance didn't get any specifics on what Cerberus has uncovered, so we have no idea if this artifact is part of the crucible or not. It would help to have another source of information on the catalyst, but we can't count on that."

Cortez interrupted Liara "Commander, I am bringing you in as close to the dig site as I can. No way we can avoid detection, but we should have a few minutes before we get company."

"Understood." Shepard nodded and turned back to the squad, who were readying their weapons. "All right everyone, get ready to move. If we are lucky we can get to the dig site before Cerberus knows what is going on." Everyone in the group nodded in response.

The shuttle glided in and hovered a couple feet off the ground, the door slid open and Shepard hopped out first, readying her rifle and scanning around for any hostiles. She heard everyone else hop out and form up behind her. "Liara, you and me take point, Garrus, cover our six. Mickey, cover Rose and the Doctor. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled, Cerberus won't be long."

Shepard started forward, taking the lead, with Liara close behind her. "No contact yet, we need to find the dig site." Liara relayed to everyone. Shepard followed the path that wound towards a cliff face and back amongst dwelling units that seemed to have been placed almost haphazardly.

Shepard frowned at the serene scenery that their vantage point offered of the valley. "This was a beautiful colony once."

Shepard could hear Garrus from the back "It survived Saren, it can survive this."

Rose took in the scenery, taken aback by the pristine calm and quiet. "This place is quite lovely, how come you never take me anywhere nice, Doctor?" Her teasing was quite evident in her voice.

The Doctor had a look of indignation on his face, that made Rose almost burst out laughing "Come on now, I've taken you lots of pretty places, The Floating Gardens of Thiraxnis, The Spiral Star Cluster of Jereshmet. Plenty of places." He then scoffed then muttered to himself "And she doesn't believe I take her anywhere, all of time and space and she says I don't take her anywhere."

Shepard took them through a couple of the dwelling units, which showed signs of being abandoned in a hurry. Computers left on, tables set, food uneaten, everything looked like the occupants were just out for a walk, a far cry from the true horrors of what had transpired here. They exited the dwelling and came up to a metal catwalk. Liara was the first to call out "There, that is the console that controls the elevator that leads down to the dig site." Liara went to the console and started typing on it, after a few brief moments, they heard the whirring of motors as the elevator ascended. Liara stared at the read out display of the computer console. Her eyes went wide and she stepped from behind the console and peered over the edge as the platform drew closer. "By the Goddess, Cerberus didn't unearth an artifact, it's… " The platform reached the top and came to a rest with a black cylindrical tube resting on it. The Doctor scooted forward as soon as it came to a rest and pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver and sonic'd it. "Ohhh, it's a stasis pod, an old one at that." He rested his ear against it as if he was listening to something, then he turns his head and licks the side of the pod. He made a odd face and acted like he was trying to get a bad taste out of his mouth. "Ohh, very old indeed, at least 50,000 years. This is simply amazing, something as old as this, buried and forgotten by all life forms, still running and working as it should be, it's amazing the things you people create." The Doctor had a giant grin on his face as he walked around the pod.

Shepard stepped forward to inspect the pod herself. She looked between the Doctor and Liara, "Could there be an actual Prothean inside that pod, still alive?" Liara stepped around to inspect the pod for herself. "You saw the stasis pods in the archives on Ilos, the only reason those failed was for a lack of power." Liara pulled up a read out and scanned the pod with her Omni-Tool. "Cerberus found this in an underground bunker, it still has power." At this point the rest of the team gathered around the pod, while Garrus kept a look out. Shepard again gave voice to the question that was on everyone's mind. "Can we revive him?" Liara scanned the pod more with her Omni-Tool and sighed. "Cerberus damaged the lifepod when the excavated it, the life signs are unstable, if we break open the pod, we could kill him. We need to figure out the command sequence to bring him out of stasis mode. We also need to figure out how to physically open the pod it out doing more damage. Cerberus took over some of the labs nearby to research what they found at the dig site. That is likely our best bet for…." The remainder of her comment was interrupted by the hum of the engines of a shuttle as one skimmed over their heads and came to lower down to the ground in the direction they needed to be heading, the Cerberus symbol clearly present on the side of the shuttle.

Shepard looked at her squad. Mickey and Rose, stay here and secure the life pod with Garrus. Liara, you and the Doctor come with me, we will try to draw most of them towards us. Doctor, keep low and stay with me. Everyone nodded at Shepard's commands. Mickey and Rose took up positions behind barricades, keeping an eye out in all directions. Garrus set up nearby, amid a pile of crates, affording him a better view of the field from all directions. Shepard took point, closely followed by the Doctor with Liara covering the rear with her SMG ready. Shepard scanned the field with the sights on her Avenger, ready for the first Cerberus lackey to poke his head out. They made it across the bridge to some crates that had been left there. As they reached the crates, the first Cerberus soldiers came around one of the prefab buildings. Shepard took aim and squeezed off a few rounds, downing the first, as she took aim for next guy in line, his head exploded in an eruption of red. Shepard looked back to see the Garrus lining up another shot. Over the comms she heard him say "Got you covered Shepard." Shepard took aim on yet another Cerberus soldier, this one wearing a lot lighter armor than most. She squeezed off a few rounds, and at the last second, the soldier leaped to the side, effectively dodging the rounds, only scoring a glancing blow, eliciting a subtle blue ripple, indicating that this one had personal shielding. Shepard started to sight for another visible target when, from the barricade the agile soldier leapt behind, a red beam leveled on Shepard's head. She barely managed to pull her head back behind the barricade a fraction of a second before a round followed the line and slammed into the barricade, taking a decent chunk out of the spot where her head used to be. Shepard swore to herself in a low voice, "Son of a bitch that was close."

Shepard placed her fingers to her ear to activate her comm. "Garrus, you got a bead on that sniper?" She saw the smoke trail, a split second before hearing the loud report of Garrus's sniper rifle. "Got one, but she brought friends." Shepard poked her head around and frowned as two more snipers came into view. She brought her rifle up and acting on reflex let fly a five round burst, she scored a direct hit on one of them, bringing the shields down and embedding into the snipers shoulder. Shepard was about to finish the sniper off when suddenly the sniper glowed the tell tale blueish-purple of Biotic power and was thrown against one of the prefabs, on the other side of the courtyard, the force of the throw snapping the snipers neck like a twig. Shepard looked around at Liara who ducked down and gave a satisfied smile as a flurry of rounds chipped at the barricade they were crouching behind. The Doctor caught Shepards gaze and said "Do I need to come back later when there is less shooting?" Shepard chuckled at his words and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Doctor, just stay back here and let me and Liara take care of these party crashers. Liara, cover me." With that, Shepard hopped over the crates and ran towards a set of cement barriers. She took aim and dispatched the remaining sniper and two other Cerberus soldiers before sliding into cover. While her shields took most of the hits, her hardsuit got some more scoring from rounds impacting her stomach and arm. They stung from the force, but she was still able to fight.

Shepard poked her head around and counted her enemies, there were three of them left. BAM! Came the report of a sniper round. Now there were two left. Shepard ejected the thermal clip and slapped in a new one. Shepard leapt from behind cover, raised her rifle up and took aim at the soldier closest to her, and fired off a five round burst. The soldier managed to turn and fire a short burst at Shepard before he went down. The burst tore through Shepards shields and hit her hard. Most impacted against the plates on her stomach and one caught between the plates of her left arm. The last soldier glowed blue and was flung over the prefabs and went screaming over the cliff. Shepard leaned against one of the prefabs to catch her breath. Liara and the Doctor ran to catch up to her. The Doctor put on a set of glasses and went to inspecting her arm, which was bleeding freely. "You're wounded Commander, this needs to be seen to before you lose too much blood." Shepard shooed him away, dropping her rifle and with her right hand, went into one of the compartments in her hardsuit and pulled out a cylinder of Medigel and activated it right onto the wound itself. The gel seeped into the wound and stopped the bleeding, then covered the outside of the wound, protecting from infection. Shepard tossed the used cylinder to the side and leaned down to pick her rifle back up. She gave the Doctor a confident smile "There, all better now." Shepard tested her left arm, while it was sore and throbbing, she still had full mobility, she hefted her rifle and checked the ammo read out, she didn't have to pop the heat sink yet, so she readied her rifle and led them through some of the prefabs, searching for the labs that may contain the information they needed.

Shepard led them around a corner and spotted another Cerberus soldier at the top of a set of stairs. She ran up towards him, spraying rounds on the soldier. He must have had some strong shields because when Shepards gun overheated, he was still standing, wounded but still alive. The soldier turned to try and run when Shepard dropped her over heated rifle, taking up her SMG in her left hand and activating the Omni-Blade on her right. She closed the remainder of distance to the soldier. He didn't make it more than a couple of steps before Shepard ran him through his chest with her Omni-Blade. She looked over his shoulder to see an Automated Turret leveling its barrel at her head, targeting her. Suddenly the turret shook and self destructed. Shepard let the soldier she was holding up drop to the ground and turned to see the Doctor standing with his Sonic Screwdriver pointed to where the turret was sitting. The Doctor gave Shepard a pleased grin, he spun his Screwdriver in the air and caught it. Liara walked around to stand next to the Doctor, looking at his Screwdriver with a mixture of astonishment and curiosity. "How did you do that?" The Doctor waved his Screwdriver in the air. "Just some Sonic jiggerypokery is all." Liara picked up Shepard's Avenger assault rifle and handed it to her. Shepard took it and thanked Liara, ejecting the heat sink and placing a new one in its place. Shepard led Liara and the Doctor further into the maze of prefab units, searching for the labs they need.

* * *

Since Shepard and her squad went out of sight range, Garrus hadn't seen any other Cerberus soldiers yet. Which worried Garrus, not for what they might be planning, but for what Shepard might be encountering without him. She tended to charge headlong into combat, trusting her squadmates to back her up. Garrus was more than happy to oblige, he came to care and respect Shepard. Not as just the juggernaut that she was on the battle field, but as the human that was beneath the rank. Garrus had seen a side of Shepard that few had seen before. To his knowledge, he was the only one Shepard had opened up to between missions. They shared a connection that went back to when they were on the first Normandy. Often, Shepard would make her way down to the cargo bay to speak with Garrus. He looked forward to those times, partly because it was boring as hell just sitting down in the cargo bay with almost nothing to do, and partly because she intrigued him with her strength, her character, and her personality. She was an unequivocal master of the battlefield, both in personal combat abilities and in tactical prowress. He heard about her actions in the Skyllian Blitz, how she held the position on Elysium, single handedly holding the Batarians back long enough for reinforcements to arrive and kept the colony safe.

Turians in general were attracted to women like Shepard, and Garrus was no exception. An attraction that Garrus had thought was not reciprocated until they worked together to combat the Collectors, after her resurrection. She professed to him that she had the same feelings as well. Since then, Garrus had done everything he could to be there for her when she needed someone and to protect her on the battlefield. It was why Garrus found it hard to let her go with a non-combatant at her back instead of him. While Garrus knew that the Doctor was a good man, he questioned his sanity when the Doctor rejected even taking a pistol into combat.

Time seemed to tick away as he kept a watch out not only for Cerberus, but on the two travelers. He would not let Shepard down, had hadn't started yet, and he did not intend to start doing so now. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, another Cerberus shuttle zoomed overhead and unloaded more troops. He shouted at Mickey and Rose to get ready, taking leadership over them as he resettled his gaze down the sight of his beloved sniper rifle, ready to thin Cerberus's ranks, one headshot at a time.

As the first soldier rounded the corner, Garrus put a round between his eyeslits. He chambered the next round and repeated the process on his buddy. Garrus was not the best damn shot in the galaxy for nothing, and today he was letting Cerberus know why. However, more soldiers came around than what Garrus could keep up with, even with his legendary accuracy. One soldier rounded the corner carrying a shield. Garrus promptly shot him through the slot where he was looking out and into his eye socket. Garrus scoffed at the thought of a shield slowing him down, they didn't know who they were messing with. Garrus had to pop the heat sink on his rifle and more soldiers came around the corners of the prefab, taking up various positions along the courtyard, now close enough to try firing at Mickey and Rose. Garrus radioed to Shepard "Shepard, we've got company here, might want to finish choosing shoes here soon and come to the dance." Garrus gave the Turian equivalent to a laugh as he ended the feeble attempt of a Cerberus sniper to try and hit him. Garrus heard Shepard groan over the comm link "We are on our way to the second lab, can you hold them?" His temper flared at hearing the pain in her voice, she was injured and he wasn't there to help her… these Cerberus bastards are going to pay, and Garrus was here to collect. He fired three rapid rounds, dropping four soldiers, thanks to a nice pretty line up, before responding "It's like they aren't even trying, but you might want to pick it up before they get their act together." While Garrus was confident, he knew never to underestimate Cerberus, and he wanted to be gone before they pulled something out of their hat to try and ruin his day.

* * *

"This is the first lab." Liara commented as the door finally opened after the liberal application of the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver. They entered the room and Shepard moved forward to access the computer. Shepard saw images flicker across the screen for a brief moment, before she saw them though her own eyes. The images were a flurry of destruction left in the wake of the reapers, images that she had seen translated by the people of her time, but instead of seeing Turians, Krogan, Salarians, and Asari, she saw images of Protheans, not as she seen them corrupted by the Reapers into Collectors, but as they were before that. The images slowed down and focused on a group of Protheans, one in particular who she saw a lot of herself in. A fearless warrior, standing down a group of Collectors, methodically eliminating them in rapid succession, even using biotics to throw them against the wall. She saw him drag a fallen comrade back before large doors sealed them off from the horde of Collectors, determined not to let him fall prey to their enemy. The situation looked grim for the Protheans, as they had lost many life pods already. But Shepard saw something that they needed, the sequence on how to open the lifepod. The vision shortly ended and Shepard was returned to the present. "I think I can duplicate that to open the pod safely." Liara frowned and narrowed her eyes "You understood that?"

Shepard turned to look at Liara, "You mean you didn't?"

Liara shook her head "No, all I saw was static, Cerberus was trying to make sense of it with no success. The Prothean Cypher you received on Feros, it let's you see the images as a Prothean would and understand their language" They both looked at the Doctor who seemed to be deep in thought.

He turned to look at them, raising an eyebrow "Well that explains a lot, I only saw static but the sounds were chaotic, jumbled up. From what information you do have on the Protheans, they have the ability to communicate telepathically, even with the translation matrix from the TARDIS, it doesn't do what your Cypher does."

Shepard shook her head, but it was Liara that spoke "Either way, we know how to open the pod, but we need to command sequence to end the stasis mode. There is another lab not far from here." Shepard nodded and led the way out of the room. For the moment, the courtyard they had cleared just outside of the first lab was clear of Cerberus. Shepard led them across the courtyard to a closed prefab. She opened the door to reveal four civilian corpses, all still sitting where they were when they were gunned down. Shepard growled, the brutality that Cerberus is displaying towards their own species was appalling and angered Shepard to a level she hardly knew she had. "They were gunned down while having drinks and watching the game, this isn't a military stronghold, it's somebody's home."

The Doctor stood next to Shepard, surveying the carnage that was displayed before them. While he knew the cold hard truth about the casualties of war, scenes like this still caused his blood to boil. These people did not deserve to be slaughtered like this, especially by their own species. Scenes like this are why the Doctor tried to save as many people as he can, and why beings like the Daleks, Cybermen, and now these Reapers anger him so much. They slaughter people with no reservations, it doesn't matter if they fight back or not. "They didn't deserve this, no one does."

As much as Shepard wanted to yell and scream at the injustice that this war has brought, she had a mission to complete and the longer they waited, the greater the chance of failure became. She shouldered her Avenger to the ready position and turned to head towards the second lab. "Come on, let's go and make Cerberus pay for this." She led them through the rest of the dwelling and out the door on the far side. It opened up to a large courtyard. Shepard caught movement at the far end and moved to get into cover on one side of the stairs. Liara darted over to the other side and crouched down. The Doctor crouched low, behind Shepard. Shepard turned her head to address the Doctor. "Stay close to Liara, move up when she does and keep your head down." The Doctor gave a nod to her, although his expression told her that he didn't like what she is saying. Shepard gave a confident smirk before hopping up and around the barrier that they were crouched behind and hurried down the stairs, letting loose a spray of rounds from her Avenger to cover her advance.

The Doctor gave a worried look to Liara at Shepard's seemingly reckless combat technique. If Liara was fazed by the Commander's actions, she didn't show it as she popped her head above the barrier and used her Biotics to throw one of the soldiers into his comrade and let loose a barrage of bullets, while it didn't do a whole lot of damage from that range, but did succeed in making the Cerberus troops take cover long enough for Shepard to get halfway between the Cerberus troops and where Liara and the Doctor were located. Shepard managed to duck just in time before another one of those infernal turrets opened fire and took a chunk out of the cement block where her head was, just a fraction of a second before. "Cerberus and their toys." She grumbled to herself before she popped up and fired a volley into the engineer who placed the damn thing in the first place. She couldn't get more than a few rounds off as the turret spooled up and fired again at Shepard.

Liara watched as the Shepard dodged the turret's deadly volley a second time. She can't keep this up for too long, she thought to herself as the turret ceased fire and swiveled around, looking around for another target. She looked at the Doctor, "You were able to destroy that first turret, can you do it again?" The Doctor poked his head up real quick to get a bead on the turret then brought his Screwdriver up and activated it. He had to duck real quick as the turret answered, not with a resounding explosion, but with a barrage of lethal bullets. The Doctor threw a frustrated look in the direction of the turret before looking at Liara and shaking his head "Not at this range, I have to get closer." That was not what Liara wanted to hear. She sighed as she spoke into the comms "Shepard, the Doctor can disable the turret, but we have to get closer."

Shepard swore to herself, Garrus would be a big help right now. "Negative Liara, he doesn't have a hardsuit, he would get torn apart. Cover me and I'll take care of it." Shepard pulled a grenade off of her chest plate, activated it and threw it. When she heard the explosion, she popped up and ran to the next barricade, determined to get closer. What she wasn't expecting was the turret to still be active. It was visibly damaged but still functional. It swung it's barrel to train on Shepard and opened fire. The turret tore through her shields and landed some solid hits on Shepard. She stumbled and rolled into cover. Shepard groaned at her injuries. Most of the shots were absorbed by her hardsuit, and while they hurt like hell, they weren't serious. One shot had punctured her hardsuit and took out a small chunk of her stomach. Shepard pulled out another cylinder of Medigel and applied it to her stomach wound. Dr. Chakwas was not going to be pleased. While she loved her ships doctor, Chakwas tended to be like another mother to Shepard and her crew. Shepard hissed in pain as the Medigel took effect and quickly stopped the bleeding and began to mend her wound. Shepard heard Garrus call in over the comms "Shepard, we've got company here, might want to finish choosing shoes here soon and come to the dance." Shepard shook her head at her friend. Garrus could find humor in just about any situation. Shepard clicked the comms and groaned as the Medigel continued to work "We are on our way to the second lab, can you hold them?" Shepard stiffened at hearing movement close by, Cerberus soldiers coming to see if she survived the turret, Shepard thought to herself as Garrus clicked back in. "It's like they aren't even trying, but you might want to pick it up before they get their act together." Shepard chuckled as she twisted her torso as much as she could. The pain was bearable, time for round two. Shepard ejected the heat sink and slapped in a new one to her rifle. She then leaned it against the barrier as she drew her shotgun out. She counted to three then popped up and quickly took aim and opened fire on the approaching troops. The first shot tore through the closest soldier, spraying the one behind him in a liberal amount of blood and tissue. The second shot ripped through him, cutting short his cry of surprise. Shepard swung the shotgun around and blasted the third soldier, sending him spinning to the ground, screaming in pain and missing most of his arm.

Shepard quickly ducked back behind the barricade after dispatching the inquisitive soldiers as a flurry of fire from the turret and the last remaining soldier peppered the rapidly eroding barricade. Shepard changed out the heat sink on her shotgun before storing it back behind her back and grabbing her assault rifle. She pulled another grenade off of her armor, set it and threw it. This time she followed it up and as soon as she cleared the barricade, she strode forward, unleashing a storm of rounds at the turret, softening what remained of its shields before the grenade she threw exploded and destroyed the remainder of the turret. Shepard turned to face the last remaining soldier and fired the remainder of her rounds before the gun overheated. The rounds harmlessly bounced off of the shield he was holding. He raised a vicious looking handgun and leveled it at Shepard. It was at that moment that he glowed blue and was quickly thrown to the side, the shot that was intended for Shepard went wide as the soldier screamed wildly as he bounced along the ground and was abruptly silenced when he collided with a support beam with a resounding crunch. Shepard looked back to see the angry blue and purple aura surrounding Liara quickly dissipate and her and the Doctor came running to catch up to Shepard.

Shepard popped the heat sink of her assault rifle and motioned for the others to follow her. Time was running out for them, they needed to get to the second lab and get the command sequence before Garrus, Rose, and Mickey were overrun. Shepard led the way through the prefab at the end of the row. Upon entering the prefab unit, Shepard saw a soldier exit from the lab and turn to look at them, freezing in surprise. Shepard growled and charged, taking advantage of the soldier's hesitation. She collided with him and used her momentum to send him over the railing, flailing and screaming down into the chasm below. "That is for Eden Prime." She spoke softly to herself as she watched the soldier fall. It was a small bit of payback, far less than what the colonists deserved. She didn't even look back at her squad mates, she just motioned them to follow her into the lab.

After clearing the room, Shepard went straight for the console, initiating the playback and like before, saw images of the destruction the Reapers were unleashing, Shepard thought that she was seeing the same transmission when it changed to show the Prothean she had seen before. She didn't know why he thought it was the same one, the Protheans looked all the same to her, but for some reason Shepard knew that this was the same Prothean. Shepard saw the Prothean talking with another about them waking after the Reapers returned to dark space. More importantly, Shepard saw the signal needed to awaken their Prothean. Shepard quickly returned to the present. "I take it you understood that one too?" Shepard nodded as she turned and readied her rifle, not wanting to waste any time getting back to the pod and their team mates. "Yeah, I've got a command signal used to activate stasis mode." Liara let a hint of a smile cross her blue face. "Excellent, then we have everything we need to open the pod." Shepard nodded as she opened the door to head back to the others. They saw a Cerberus shuttle skim by over head and unload more troops on the far end of the prefab. "They just don't give up, don't they?"

* * *

Garrus fired off yet another round, sending the headless Cerberus soldier crumpling to the ground. "They just don't give up, don't they?" He told himself as he took aim and deprived another hapless Cerberus mook of his cranium. There definitely seemed no end to them at all. Luckily they have managed to hold off the soldiers, but only because a small amount came through at a time, allowing Garrus to thin most of them out before either Mickey or Rose finished them off.

At first Rose was extremely hesitant about shooting people. That hesitation evaporated after a few close calls. She better understood now why the Doctor hesitated in taking the lives of others, giving them at least one chance to reconsider. It wasn't easy to make that decision to fire the gun and take the life of another, but luckily in the heat of battle, with bullets whizzing all around her and the myriad of other sounds and noises, she didn't have time to think about it, she just reacted. Thankfully, she couldn't do much more than maybe injure them. Having no real combat training or experience, she wasn't doing much more than firing in the vague direction of the enemy, periodically hitting either a shield or a non-vital spot. Mickey on the other hand, had been more effective at taking care of the soldiers that Garrus missed. The minimal training he got from Vega was invaluable in keeping him and Rose alive.

Garrus growled as he yet again had to eject the thermal clip and slap a new one in. Where the hell was Shepard, they should have been here by now. He thought to himself as he sighted and fired again. Once again, hoping that Shepard's confidence and borderline recklessly aggressive combat behavior doesn't get her hurt or killed. He just got her back, he does not want to lose her again.

* * *

Shepard squeezed off another burst of fire, eliminating the last of the reinforcements that had been dropped in by the latest group of shuttles. Shepard popped the heat sink and shouted to Liara and the Doctor "Come on, we are almost there." Shepard rounded the corner, coming face to face with a Cerberus soldier that had been trying to flee from Garrus and his frighteningly accurate fire, which was proven by the large amount of headless corpses littering the field. Shepard reacted first by swinging the butt of her rifle into the face of the soldier. He staggered back and was promptly relieved of his cranium by a well placed shot from Garrus, who was more than relieved at seeing Shepard and her squad for the most part in one piece. Shepard, Liara, and the Doctor ran up and reunited with the rest of their team. Once the Doctor got close, Rose jumped up and threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She hadn't been more glad to see him than in that moment. The Doctor had a look of bewilderment, but returned the hug by wrapping his arms around her. "Are you alright, Rose?" He asked her, concerned for her safety. She finally released him and backed up. She smacked him in the chest with her free hand. "Don't you dare disappear like that again, you had me worried half to death."

The Doctor flinched slightly at her outburst, but his look of shock was soon replaced by a smile "Well, you seem to have done marvelous here." He leaned forward to speak in to Roses ear. "I am glad you are safe." While he didn't tend to show his affection, he cared for Rose deeply, more than he had allowed himself to do so in a long time.

Shepard ran up and accessed her Omni-Tool, immediately a display on the stasis pod lit up. "I am transmitting the signal" Liara pulled up the readout on her Omni-Tool "Perfect, it will take a few moments for the lifepod to process it." At this point, Garrus ran up to join the rest of them on the platform. "Watch out, heavy Cerberus forces inbound, looks like we got a siege on our hands." A Cerberus shuttle lifted off from the same location that they landed at earlier. Garrus took up a position next to the pod, while Shepard and Liara moved across the bridge to engage the Cerberus forces. Mickey stayed back with Rose, making sure that no one got close to Garrus or the pod, also making sure they did not get attacked from the other direction. The Doctor walked around the pod to the instrument panel, monitoring it's read out and making adjustments so as to keep the occupant alive.

Having Garrus and the others made the difference, and while there were a large amount of Cerberus troops that swarmed to attack. Shepard and her squad made short work of them all. After all of them were dealt with, Shepard squatted at the end of the bridge, trying to catch her breath. "Looks like we've got a second to catch our breath." Garrus chuckled as he changed out the thermal clip in his sniper rifle. "If anybody needs fresh clips or a bathroom break, now's the time." Shepard and Liara scavenged spare clips from the fallen Cerberus soldiers and distributed them out. Shepard looked around to address the Doctor. "Has the lifepod ended stasis?" Without looking up, he replied "Not yet, just a few more moments." The life pod was damaged more than they thought, the Doctor had to keep making corrections to account for the damage the pod had suffered.

Liara saw it first "HEAVY MECH! Don't let it get close!" She shouted moments before one of the mechs they had seen on Surkesh slammed into the ground and stood up to its full height. Liara, Mickey, Rose, and Shepard all started peppering the mech with rounds, trying to bring it's shields down and keep its attention off of the lifepod. Garrus concentrated on eliminating the group of soldiers that accompanied the mech. Shepard kept up the stream of fire from her Avenger until the mech got right where she wanted it. She pulled her last grenade from her chestplate, armed it and tossed it at the mech. The grenade exploded, making the mech rock a little, but it was still standing. Shepard and her squad opened fire on the mech with renewed vigor. The combined fire tore through what remained of the mech's shields and managed to shred the pilot's canopy before the mech exploded. This elicited a cheer from Shepard's squad.

The reverie was broken when the console beeped and the Doctor stood up to address everyone "The life pod is ready, it just needs to sequence to open the pod." He stepped out of the way to let Shepard have access to the control console. Shepard punched in the sequence to open the pod. They heard a whirring as the pod opened up. Through the mist that plumed out of the pod, Shepard could make out the still form of one of the Protheans from her visions, no, it was the same Prothean, Shepard was certain of it. She didn't know how she knew, let alone the infinitely high improbability that Shepard could not calculate happening. Everyone gathered around the pod, curious to see who was inside. "Goddess." Gasped Liara, upon seeing the Prothean. The Doctor said nothing as he studied the occupant of the lifepod. Initially they saw no movement from the Prothean, "It may time him sometime to regain consciousness." As Liara looked back at him, they saw him stir.

His mouth moved and his two sets of eyes groggily and slowly came open. He looked around at the gathering of people around his pod. He suddenly glowed with a teal energy and threw everyone away from the pod. As everyone was getting back to their feet, the Prothean stumbled out of his pod, falling to his knees as he tries to reacclimate his body to being awake. The Prothean staggered to his feet as Mickey pointed his rifle at him. The Doctor knocked the rifle out of his hand and glared at him, almost daring Mickey to point it at the Prothean again. The Doctor quickly turned his attention to the startled and still confused Prothean, he held out his hands in a non-threatening manner, to show the Prothean that he is unarmed. "We are not here to hurt you, we are friends." The Prothean seemed to barely register what the Doctor was saying as he looked out over the landscape of Eden Prime like he was trying to process where he is and what had happened. Liara quietly spoke to the Doctor and the others. "Remember, it's been fifty thousand years for us, but for him it's only been a few…" Shepard couldn't stop herself, she reached out to gently touch the Prothean's shoulder. The moment she did, she was instantly zapped back into the same place that she had seen in the transmissions. "… A few minutes." She saw the Prothean turn and address a holographic image of another Prothean.

The hologram shook it's head "No, the bunker is falling, there is no other option." The Prothean growled as he spoke "There are pods online, those soldiers are still alive." The hologram remained stoic, "Their sacrifice will be honored in the coming empire. Preparing neutron bombardment, get to your life pod, now." The Prothean shook his head, clearly wanting to continue the argument, but he knew that time was against him. He ran to a lifepod and climbed in. The voice of the hologram came over the comms "Neutron bombardment underway." Explosions shook the pod, the Prothean visibly grew more and more angry with each explosion. Eventually the rumbling stopped and all was silent. The hologram's voice returned. "The bunker is secured, Commander Javik."

The Prothean, whom Shepard concluded was Javik, sighed in resignation "What is left of it. A few hundred people, how am I to rebuild an empire with that?" The hologram spoke again "Furthur adjustments may be necessary, the neutron purge compromised the facility."

"Clarify."

"Sensors are damaged, automated reactivation is not an option. You will remain in stasis until a new culture discovers this bunker. This may lead to a power shortage."

"DO NOT SHUT OFF MORE PODS! I NEED THE FEW THAT ARE LEFT!"

The holograms voice remained passive. "Power needs will be triaged appropriately." Javik slumped down in the pod, knowing that the future for his people looked grim. The hologram's voice spoke one last time "You will be the voice of our people."

As sleep was over taking him, Javik spoke one last time. "I will be more than that." Pure seething hated prominent in his voice.

The vision ended and the Prothean and Shepard fell to their knees, taken aback at being returned to the present. The Prothean ground his hands in the dirt. "How many others?" He spoke in perfect English.

Shepard stood and sighed before replying "Just you."

The Prothean grumbled as he stared out along the landscape. Shepard raised an eyebrow "You can understand me?"

"Yes, now that I have read for physiology, your nervous system. Enough to understand your language."

Shepard almost shuddered at the thought. "So you were reading me while I was seeing…"

The Prothean stood up. "…Our last moments, our failure."

Shepard moved around the Prothean to see his face. "Your people did everything they could, they never gave up. And I could use some of that commitment now." Shepard's comms beeped as Cortez radioed in "Commander, whatever you did got Cerberus interested."

"Roger that Cortez, bring in the shuttle we are ready for pick up."

The Prothean turned to look at the beings around him. "Asari, Turian, Human…" He paused when he looked at the Doctor, the Prothean stepped closer to inspect him. "You, you look human but… you are not familiar at all. You are… different. You and I are alike, the last of our kind…"

The Doctor pointed a finger at him "Stop that."

The Prothean shrugged "I am surrounded by primitives."

While most of the party seemed put off at his statement, Shepard had more important things on her mind. "This place isn't safe, will you join us?"

That piqued the Prothean's interest "You fight the Reapers?"

Shepard nodded, "Yes."

The Prothean turned to face Shepard. "We shall see."

Shepard held out her hand to greet her new comrade. The Prothean looked at the hand and then looked back at Shepards face and said nothing as he walked off towards where the shuttle was landing at.

Rose walked up next to the Doctor and looped her arm through his. "He is a cheery bloke, isn't he?"

The Doctor said nothing in response. He knew exactly how the Prothean felt. He was right, they both were the last of their kind. The Doctor felt the same emotions cascading from him in the brief moment that his mind and the Protheans brushed against each other earlier when the Prothean was inspecting him. The Doctor made it a point to speak to this Prothean, Javik later on, it would help to speak with one who had lived through what Javik is experiencing right now.


End file.
